Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-28
MEXICO TO ALASKA.
rho ALL Rail Route to Behr.
ing Straits.
uost of the Road Already
Laid Out.

recent ottawa dispatch says J. H,
c.;c,les, a New York capitalist, is in that
s;tv applying for a renewal Of a charter to
mild a railroad from Calgary to Athabascs
landing, beyond Edmonton. He says thu
.oad will be built within a few years. It il
hard to understand Mr.. Stiggle's object in
building a load up there, but he probably
sses traffic ahead. It now seems probable
that the Canadian Pacific Syndicate, who
have already cost the people OF Canada
about 5000, OOO. 900, will sell their mon
onolv clause to the Government for another
$4,000, 600. In that case there will soon
he a road built from Benton to the Cana.
dian Pacific, in the neighborhood Of Cal.
gary. When Mr.. Stiggles builds his road
there will be complete communication by
rail between the City OF Mexico and
THE ARCTIC SLOPE,
and there will remain a comparatively
short stretch to he built to connect with
the Russian system at Bshring Straits.
This can be done by q direct and practic.
able route, crossing the Rockies by an easy
grade where the range is cut by the Lizard
River, following that stream to it's head,
and over a divide to the head Of PelIy
River, which is the Upper Yukon, thence
following the general course Of the Yukon
to T%okhahat, at the mouth OF the Koniak
River, and West from that point to Cape
Prince of Wales. This is approximately
the only practicable route for the railroad
TO Behring Straits, that is being agitated
80 much these days, and may be built be-
fore many years. There is
NO EXCESSIVE SNOWFALL
anywhere on the route. except perhaps
about the heads Of the Lard and Pelly
Rivers, and ever there much lighter than
would be encountered all along the line
nearer the coast. 1t is q prairie route
nearly all the way, and is by far the short
est route from the American side of the
line to Behring Straits. Senator Hoar's
proposed appropriation of $1OO, OOO
would easily be used up in the attempt to
find a practicable line to Alaska on the
Nearly all OF the streams putting in
on the West coast OF British Columbia,
widen out toward the mouths, which are
simply inlets, or arms of the sea, too wide to
be bridged, and the line could not cut
farther in on account OF the succession OF
abrupt mountains that soak their feet in
tidewater. But these inlets, though
ENOUGH IN THEMSELVES
to prevent the construction OF any inter
national coast railway to Alaska, are not
the most serious obstacles. At intervals
along the coast OF British Columbia and
Alaska there are encountered the faces OF
the great glaciers that are sheer cliffs OF ice
hundreds of feet high, flowing steadily into
the sea, where the ice is constantly break.
ing off and forming icebergs. No human
power could stop the flow of these glaciers,
and no permanent road could be built
across them. The continental Rail-
road will not be built through British
Columbia either. From the Rocky Noun
tains to the Coast that country is one
tumble OF the most impossible mountains
in North America. and there is no interior
route opened by water courses or other
built it will follow the route given above,
keeping east of the Rocky Mountains until
it can cross them through the valley OF
THE LIARD RIVER,
and by following down the Yukon Valley
it will avoid 1.-THE Sea Of Mountains" as
British Columbia is frequently called: On
this route there will be no glaciers, and no
unbrideea BILE rivers. It will not cross the
Arctic circle. and can he operated continu
GUS, as demonstrated by the railroad now
in operation across the Arctic Circle in
Sweden. This road will eventually develop
q large local business from mining regions
all along the Rocky Mountains n in the
Yukon country, and on Copper River,
where the native Indians procure their
supplies OF native copper to trade on the
coast, there may yet spring up q rival 70
Butte. All the precious and useful metals,
as well as coal and petroleum., are o
to exist in quantity in Alaska, and before
Montana is all staked out there will be ex'
tensive mining industries In hat country
that will furnish
ABUNDANT TRAFFIC
for a system OF railroads. In Montana
the Montana Central and Utah q NortherE
will form sections OF the Alaska & Mexico
line, and Butte will be the great hall way
station, where the products OF the Nortf
and South will come together Tor a
facture and distribution. The RUSSIAN
are pushing their railroad system east
ward as fast as possible. and the track viii
perhaps reach Behripg Straits from boil
sides simultaneously. Perhaps 1t Will no
be very many years before railroad tlcket
for St. Petersburg and beyond can %
bought in Butte, and the next thing !,
view will be an all rail route to Centra
Africa.